Okay to use 5mm, instead of the 12mm on drawing 10 10 310 W, but then you need to adjust the length of part 10 10 306 S.

I might have thought this through more than I realize, using other profiles for legs than the U-ones. I get the correct distance when measuring the y+430 across the short side, so I guess I can do 5mm without changes. :)

More and more progress when my helper told me had started a bit earlier than I could arrive :P

http://pici.se/thumbs/t_IXMlLrZdY.gif

http://pici.se/thumbs/t_fPitEhaRM.gif

Hard to get slacking with the kick ass help :)

Today I tried to make some y-rails.

Cutting went smooth but the grinding failed miserably, even with the use of the jigg in the plans. So now im looking for alternatives or someone providing a better kit to use and grind with.

Hi Frallan,

please post some pics of the failure and describe what happend. Maybe we can learn from it! I`m also in the grinding process.:)

Heads up

Greetings
Claus

Frallan,

I agree with Claus. Share your results with us. You may help someone else. But, also, we may be able to point out how YOU can be successful. Many on this Forum have successfully ground the rails.

I assume you were using the JR skate. I assume you were using grinding disks with reasonable quality. The cheap ones wear quickly. I personally only used one disk. It was a Dewalt disk...it was about 6 mm thick.

Best of luck, whatever you decide to do next.

Ill post pics tomorrow, but describe now with as much info as possible,

Discs are good Q inox-discs and they arent very worn out despite the 2 rails.

It ground very unevenly, even despite tightened against the iron. some places it was too much, some places to little. Couldnt get skate working nicely at all.
I thought I sorted it out on the second rail, but still jiggly and loose despite tightening.

Ended up with a nice second failed rail and a nice cut in the hand by the angle grinder.

So how do you ppl do it to get it done ok?

heya,

Did you had in total 8 ball bearings and could you make them well tight on the reel?

In my case I could move the skate about 20-30 degrees still, but with a spirit leveler I could manage it by hand to keep it quite straight well over the complete reels.

it sounds like in your case the skate is to wiggly, moving to much, I might be wrong?

Second, don't grind to much in one run. adjusting takes some time and you need to make sure you use the whole disk for grinding.

Last not but least, grind slow by moving the skate very slow over the metal

I believe there are some youtube videos about this.. if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Ries

I found it useful to put a handle on the skate at 90 degrees to the grinder so that I could guide the skate with both hands.

I also tightened the bearings against the rail that I was grinding so that there was very little wiggle. I let the grinding wheel "pull" the skate along the rail. Going in this direction takes less metal off per pass, but the grinding wheel does the work of pulling the skate along the rail. That way you can be attentive to the angle of the grinder and not have to exert as much pressure against the grinder.

And as Ries says, take only a little metal off per pass. Use many passes.

This is very useful! I've read about successful stories of rail grinding mostly but I find it as beneficial to learn about the "don't" before I put my grinder to work.
Thanks!

I'll just add that I always wore my welding gloves during this operation -> and one of them has the scar, instead of me.

A back and forth motion worked quite well for me, going generally in the direction the
grinder wants to go. So let the grinder walk from 0" to about 14" or so ( a comfortable stroke for me), pull it back to 2", walk to 16", back to 4", etc. For the first few passes over any location, it would ride up, taking a very light cut. Then ride back down, again with a light cut on the backstroke. I'd know a section was done when it stopped riding up. All of the above was for a roughing pass to get close.

Then, with the stops dialed up just a hair more, I did a finishing pass, again back and forth, but without allowing any riding up.

http://pici.se/thumbs/t_dTPjAKzCy.gif
Result of one of my rails. It was very odd to do them, the rig was both jiggly and still hard to move sometimes. So I guess I have some metal now to practice on :)

I looked at the picture, but I could not clearly see the problems. I copied the picture to my hard drive and zoomed in on various parts of the rail...didn't help much. If you have a "micro" option on your camera, perhaps you could take a close-up of a "good" section of the rail and a close-up of a "bad" section of the rail.

From what little I can see in the picture, it looks like the grinder is riding-up as you make the pass. Are you able to hold the grinder down on the guide bolts throughout the entire pass?

Well the issue is probably just that I dont know if its 45 degrees or not.
So at some places it grinds off more and some less. The angle varies and the 1mm flat on top is all from 1.4-0.8mm wide.

Ill try to get a nice spirit level and then try some on the failed rails. Otherwise I might ask the ppl where I work with it if they can mill the rails for me.

frallan,

from what I read it looks like you tried to grind of to much in one pass and you didn't tighten the ball bearings tight enough on the rails. The spirit level help a lot for me to get things even better.

That said, I have seen some rail grinding here on the forum that looked really awesome, my rails are not good as that!

But I can always cut a couple of mm off and grind them again :)

Ries

Finally a new update

The cart welded up and done
http://pici.se/thumbs/t_YeXQmPHkh.gif

And the gantry!
http://pici.se/thumbs/t_IddHfEWqQ.gif

Next on the list, weld plates with machine feet on the rig, then move it home.

Hello Frallan,

nice to see some news from you. Good progress.
Did you countersink the holes on the endplates?

Claus

Nope, but I see no issue doing it afterward, checked and doublechecked, even though a bit more issue :)

Off-topic, did I change my threads topic or what happened? :P

I change the thread topics to keep up with what is really happening in the thread.

Ah ok I see :P

Then id say all welding is done.

Now is just the transport home left. Will be fixed the coming week, with the use of a truck + forklift :)

Just to get stuff done ive started researching spindles a bit more.
Seems Ill be getting a Elektro motor from http://www.teknomotor.com/.

1.6kW 24000RPM motor, suitable for both milling and drilling due to Double angular contact bearing in spindle nose and tail. This will be powered by a used VFD i got from a friend. A Danfoss VLT 6011, 7.5kW and around 16kVA. Sounds pretty solid to me, anyone got comments?

Move of the steel is delayed a little due to bloody snow :P
So have to write something and show the newest addition to my milling project:

Teh awesum VFD and spindle! :)
http://www.pici.se/gal/oddname/Mill/

My village weather at the moment: http://www.fishhoekgalley.com/webcam_fullscreen.php That white stuff is sand. :)

Pictures taken 5 min ago.
minus 10 deg. celsius.....25 cm snow. ...
Attachment 7806Attachment 7807

From that wooden Deck we usually jump into the pool...

Our pool has been frozen over for at least a month now. -32C tonight. :) Hope your metal shows up soon.

Its just a matter of time and willpower, will try to get it all home once the garage is cleaned. =)

And so the monster is home!

http://pici.se/thumbs/t_nnqPRMioD.gif

Small test of it all, atm a bit tight due to more cleaning needed, just cleaned enough to make it fit :) More pics in the link to the gallery a few posts up.

While waiting and fixing stuff I got my motor running wity my VFD :)
Seems pretty nice, ceramic bearings and duty cycle: 1

http://www.vimeo.com/8397375

Small update:

Not much is happening but at least the rails are of being machined since I failed a pair of rails :)

An older pic of the steels status:
http://pici.se/thumbs/t_MQMBAuvYA.gif

Started doing the electronics in the meanwhile, providing a small familyphoto:
http://pici.se/thumbs/t_JXUsjynip.gif

While waiting for rails and gaugeplate I started doing the electronics and im getting along with it quite well.

Cabinet with a few holes missing. 4x speakon connectors which seems to be the perfect choice.
http://pici.se/thumbs/t_ywDgjSkrZ.gif

Electronics with wiring started, dual contactor for safety reason, if One welds shut, no worries!
http://pici.se/thumbs/t_vOFKQapFA.gif


Schematic of the new part. A new button for reset if e-stop is triggered.
http://pici.se/thumbs/t_SKrvPJagN.gif

Frallan,

you are going strong I see!
make sure you cable chains have enough room for 4 cables from the gecko to your motors, they current one I say looks kinda small to me, or I just like things roomy...

Second, and I am not sure if you told me already, but just a reminder, are you planning to use any heat paste under your gecko's? According to the Gecko manual, you have to do this for stepper over 3A, yours are 4A.

Third, are you planning to use these cable connector things (see image) I forgot there names... I found them to be extremely handy. My suggestion is to use that instead of what you are using now, they they tend to break quite quickly..

Ries

Plenty of room :)

About the geckos, a MAX of 14A out from my transformer and not so good to use it all, som im settling with 12A, 4x 3A so no need for paste. :)

Frallan,

then in that case you need to current setting to be limited to 3A.
I did notice that my heat sink get's a bit warm to hot, mine are set at 4A (62K resistor).

Ries

Im just too lazy to update, but here is a current status: allmost done :)
Electronics all done, tested all axis but not together yet(will do asap cabling is done) , need to do some final assembly of them, and to fix the cables (some nice bruflex shielded cable and speakon connectors) Today I got my spoilboards too, its been hell finding them, but I did!

http://pici.se/thumbs/t_GtiaHHPaE.gif

http://www.vimeo.com/10774348

May I have my status as complete and a serial number? :D

Congratulations with the work....

Looks like a very nice working machine...

Where can we see the MM logo's ;)

Its under the machine :P
Nah, getting them tomorrow :)

hehhe..

it's seems like a fast machine over there... I think it's because you are at 230V, I am at 115V :D

Cool !! Congrats on the Machine. Show us your logos (sounds like Marti gras sign I have seen ..... ) :D

Took a bit longer then expected, the printer (a real life man) :P was out of white ink for the machine that will print on some kind of "vinyl" and cut my nice logos :(

Middle of next week is delivery :)